Truth and Consequences
by SouthernBella04
Summary: A Getty story from Gio's POV. Picks up after Twenty-Four Candles.
1. Egg Salad and Punch

This is a one-shot Getty fic which follows Gio's thoughts after he drops Betty off from their carriage ride

_This is a one-shot Getty fic which follows Gio's thoughts after he drops Betty off from their carriage ride. The more that I think about it…it might be more than a one-shot. We'll see….but let me know if I should continue._

I couldn't help but continue to grin after I dropped her off. She was calm and collected around me, which made it easier for me…almost too easy. As I spent the night with her, I wanted so badly to tell her how I really felt. It nearly slipped, but luckily Betty was distracted by sparks. Call it fate, but the moment she put her head on my shoulder, I had a feeling that things were about to change. Even Snowflake seemed to really like her. After our fireworks display, Betty gave some oats to Snowflake and shared her fondue with me. I had some bread left over from the deli that was in the carriage. We spent a good deal of time, just talking.

"I really enjoyed myself tonight, Betty." I found myself saying sincerely to her. "I'll see you around." I recalled myself saying this and then looked at her. She had a strange expression on her face. I couldn't tell if it was confusion or guilt about something.

"Yeah, I'll see you around." Betty said distractedly. She turned to leave, but then turned back to me. "Thanks, Gio. You have no idea what this means to me. I'm glad I have a good friend like you." She smiled and as much as the word 'friend' stung, I returned the smile.

I strode down the street until I reached my apartment. I felt better than I had in the past month or so. Seeing Betty earlier that day for the first time in a few months made me realize just how much I had missed her. I understood she was busy, yet there seemed to be something she didn't want to tell me. I shrugged it off as I took off my shirt and showered. I touched my shoulder where she rested her head and smiled as I stepped out of the shower and got ready for bed.

The alarm startled me the next morning. I had an early shipment of bread coming in and I stumbled through the darkness trying to find a shirt. I had it all planned out in my head, well how I would see Betty anyway. He thought of Betty for awhile, and eventually found himself at his deli.

"Mornin' Jack, how's the leg?" I asked as he pushed the front door open. My new manager I hired was recently injured in an accident.

"Ah, hell…as screwed up as it will ever be. Damn doctor's won't give me any meds." Jack grimaced and then noticed an odd look on my face. "What the hell are you grinning about?"

"I had a night out last night…" I paused and collected myself. "With someone special."

"Hell Gio, what have I told you about taking out your sister to see Hannah Whoever the Hell Montana." Jack coughed

"This was a different outing. You know that girl I've been telling you about?" I leaned in closer.

"Yeah, the Mode girl with the accounting boyfriend. You told me yesterday that she was doing something special with him. Did you steal her away from him?" Jack asked with a look of interest.

"Nah." I enjoyed thinking about salvaging Betty's night. "He stood her up. It's complicated…anyway, we had a nice carriage ride and it ended with a nice head rest." I smiled.

"You're a dawg man. Well, who am I to talk? I'm 46 and I've been married 4 times." Jack walked into the back.

I spent the next few hours assisting customers and cleaning my deli up for the lunch rush. The bell rang, indicating that someone stepped into the store. I looked up instinctively and to my surprise, it was Henry.

"Hey Henry, how can I help you?" I held out his hand for Henry to shake, but instead, Henry grabbed me by the shirt and pushed me against the wall. "I take it things are well then, Henry." I gasped for air.

"Explain this…" Henry shoved a napkin into my hands and let me go from his grip. I opened the napkin that was stained from the hot chocolate that spilled over Betty's face.

"Well, to me it looks like a used napkin. Common sense would then tell me that someone spilled something, so naturally I would come to the conclusion that the napkin was used to clean something up." I looked Henry up and down, but took no further action.

"I found this on the table. I took it without Betty knowing. What the hell did you do to her last night?" Henry was fuming mad.

"The question is, Henry, what did you do to her last night?" I had no fear of Henry, but at the same time, Henry was slightly taller than me.

"I had no choice." Henry said defiantly as he adjusted his glasses.

"She was at that restaurant for at least an hour waiting on you. Look, I know it was due to miscommunication, but when I saw the look of disappointment on her face, I had to do something." I nodded my head and glanced at Henry. "You must really want her to be miserable. So what, if she can't be with you on her birthday you'd rather her sulk at home?" I knew I wasn't finished with his tangent as Henry interjected.

"No, I…" Henry began, but I was faster.

"Or is it the fact that you don't trust her around me? You're jealous that because you stood her up, I was there to cheer her up. Yeah, we talked and had a fairly good time. If I were you, I'd be grateful. Imagine the thoughts she would have continued to think about how awful her birthday was if I didn't come in and help make it a happy day for her. Don't take it the wrong way, but you're not the only one in her life who can make her happy." I paused as I took note of the anger swelling in Henry. "All I'm saying is that Betty has a support system much stronger than your relationship. She has an amazing family and good friends that will be there for her when you disappoint her again and leave for Tucson." I sighed.

"Stay away from her Sandwich boy…I'm warning you." Henry glared at me.

"No, I don't think I'm going to stay away from her. If I know that I have a chance to brighten her day when you disappoint her, and let's just say we are seeing more jeer than cheer on your part, I want to be there to pick up the pieces." I grinned and turned to leave.

Henry stopped me with his arm. "Did Betty ever tell you that she gave me a promise that she would never see you again? I bet she didn't explain that to you. I worry about Betty when she's around you." Henry growled.

"Woah, calm down Henry. I have customers to get to, excuse me." I tried to leave another time, but Henry punched me in the face and I fell back, knocking over the chip cart as I fell.

"STAY AWAY FROM HER SANDWICH BOY" Henry shouted. He turned to watch the customers look at him in shock. Jack hobbled over and glared at Henry.

"Get out of here! You're not welcome at this place." Jack glared at Henry as Henry slowly left, not taking his eyes off me, as I began to pick up the chip packages on the floor.

"It's alright. I am very sorry that you guests had to see this. Lunch is on the house; because I am sorry you had to see that." I insisted as Jack walked with me to the back.

"Damn Gio, I can't believe you didn't fight back. You could have taken that guy, you know." Jack said as he began slicing tomatoes.

"That's the difference between Henry and I. When Henry gets upset, he explodes. I know I could have taken him, but it's all about choice. Betty wouldn't have been very happy with me." I shrugged. "I don't plan on telling her either…Through, Henry mentioned that Betty made a promise not to see me again."

"Does it really bother you that much?" Jack asked.

"Nah…well a little, but it worked out to my benefit. She had the choice of taking my hand and getting in the carriage or walking away. She chose me, even if it was for one night; it has made all the difference." I grinned and rubbed my eye, which I could tell was beginning to swell.

"Do you have any deliveries to make this afternoon, boss?" Jack asked as he put the finishing touches on a tuna sandwich.

"I have a special delivery to make…" I wandered off and returned with a bag. The brown bag was tied with a ribbon and I was now sporting sunglasses.

"Ah, you've got a special delivery at Mode…I see how it is." Jack winked and continued to work.

"I'll catch you later." I patted Jack on the back and left. I was thankful that the sun was shining, because it made me fit in with the rest of the New Yorkers, shielding their eyes with sunglasses. I made my way to Betty's floor and found her sitting at her desk working on a project. I sat carefully on her desk, waiting for her to see me. Finally I cleared his throat.

"Gio…hi…you really like this whole sneaking up thing, don't you." She smiled and suddenly frowned. "You're wearing sunglasses…you know you can take them off." Betty smiled and looked nervously past me.

"Do they make me look like Shaft? That's what I was going for." I grinned and handed her the bag.

"You…er…didn't have to do this." She responded nervously as she took the bag. She looked past me again.

"Looking for someone?" I asked. I had the feeling I knew who she was searching for.

"Oh no….not at all. Henry is at a baby meeting all day with Charlie. We were going to have lunch, but he had to cancel." Betty sighed. I hated seeing her disappointed.

"Get up. We're going to show these sticks how to eat a proper lunch." I stood up and beckoned her to follow me. "Well, are you coming? Bring your lunch because I can't afford two meals from the Mode cafeteria." I grinned as she slowly approached me.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt." She followed me into the elevator.

"So Henry is at a meeting all day today….interesting…." I casually mentioned as the elevator descended. I knew that Henry was not at any meeting, seeing as he just paid me a visit.

"Yep, but that's my Henry…always so thoughtful. It shows how much of a good father he wants to be." Betty smiled at me. Suddenly, I felt the same feelings I felt when I wiped the hot chocolate off of her. I wanted to tell her how I felt, but instead, I grinned at her.

"So how about taking off those sunglasses?" Betty asked. She didn't even wait for me to respond before she took them off herself and gasped, dropping her lunch on the floor. "Gio, what happened?" She asked with a look of worry on her face.

"It's nothing. I took Snowflake's reins off the wrong way and BAM! A nice shiner." I knew my lie wasn't very believable. By the look on Betty's face, she wasn't convinced.

"The reins did that to you? How did you manage that?" She laughed and then placed her hand smoothly over my black eye. Quickly, realizing she was crossing the line between friend and _really_ friendly, she withdrew her hand.

"Snowflake wasn't too happy with me I guess." I shrugged as the elevator door open and I placed the glasses back on. I let her get out first and followed her.

"I'm still not convinced, Gio. If I knew any better, I would have thought that you got into some kind of fight with someone." Betty smiled, but said nothing else.

"Yeah. Look, why don't you find a seat and I'll join you in a minute." She nodded as a response as I grabbed some food and sat down next to her.

"Who hit you?" Betty asked without wasting anytime.

"You don't know him." I replied. Honestly, she didn't know this side of Henry.

"I don't really think you deserved it." Betty took a bit of her sandwich and continued. "I want to thank you for what you did last night. I felt like I was reliving high school all over again." She smiled.

"No problem. I really had fun. Who would have ever thought I would have gotten the pleasure to see you spill hot chocolate all over yourself." I laughed as she rolled her eyes at me.

"Shut up Gio!" She grinned and then carried on a conversation with me about our childhood. We spent the next 30 minutes connecting and many of our childhood stories were similar. Finally, she looked at her watch. "I...I should go." She stood up and thanked me for lunch.

"No problem. Look if you ever need another shoulder to lean on…." I trailed off and laughed. "I'm here." She smiled in response and turned to leave. To my surprise, she turned back.

"Who hit you?" She asked a second time. I felt the need to no longer keep withholding information from her.

"Henry." I replied. "You'll be happy to probably know that he remains perfectly fine." I watched her expression. She seemed confused as she walked up to me and took off my sunglasses another time and looked me in the eyes.

"I'm sorry." She said and walked away. I could tell that she truly believed that this was her fault. I couldn't blame her though.

There were so many things left to say to her and so little time before Henry found a way to wrap his fingers around her some more and I would lose her forever.


	2. Persuation

The smell of my mother's famous pesto sauce permeated through the room as I sat with my Cousin Maurizio in the living room. I had a beer in my hand and we were catching up on this week's news. Every Sunday night we had a big family dinner at my mother's where she would cook a lavish dinner and the entire family living in New York would come and talk. Trust me when I saw, Italians love to talk. Some dinners carry on until 3 in the morning.

"So thanks Maurizio for letting me borrow Snowflake the other night. I appreciate it." I grinned and took a sip of my beer.

"Snowflake had a blast. You should take him out more often." Maurizio chuckled and sipped his coffee. He knew the real reason I asked to borrow a carriage, but he also knew that the Rossi family talked and lived to talk, so he kept it a secret.

"Look, can I make up that wheel I broke with some sandwiches…I've been trying out this new recipe with pesto sauce….Italian bread….mozzarella cheese…" I knew that I was providing my cousin with a tempting offer.

Maurizio grinned. "Tempting, but it's alright. It was one of my older carriages."

"Looks like Paulo's had too much of the artichoke dip." I laughed and pointed towards Paulo who was making a beeline for the bathroom.

I sat surrounded by my family when suddenly I was struck with a thought. I began to think of Betty's family and smiled. Ignacio was a lot like my mother. He cooked and looked after the family. Antonella was like Justin. She marched to the beat of her own drum. Then I thought of Betty and smiled even more broadly.

"Ew…I hope you're not thinking about metal mouth girl." Antonella leaned over and whispered in my ear as she grabbed a piece of bread and smacked me in the back of my head.

"Nella, what was that for?" my mother asked curiously.

"Ah, Gio's just being such a wonderful brother by making my lunch for me for the next week. After all, his sandwiches are the best….according to….Jennifer Anniston." Nella grinned and pulled out an article.

I took the article with shock and began to read it aloud:

_Friends at Gio's Deli_

_You can always find a friend at Gio's Deli. Located right in the heart of the city, Gio's offers a wonderful selection of condiments. One "friend" in particular boasts on the sandwiches she has eaten. Jennifer Anniston, well known for her role as Rachel in Friends, eats at Gio's Deli two times a week. Anniston says, "The service is great and there's nothing better than being greeted with a giant smiling pickle. His deli is definitely the new hot spot and I will be recommending it to all of my friends!" Gio's deli is run by 26 year old Giovanni Rossi._

My mouth was still hanging open in shock. "Jennifer Anniston comes in twice a week?" I tried to recollect some of my regular customers when suddenly I remembered a woman who always wore sunglasses.

"Need any help during the lunch rush? I've always wanted Jennifer Anniston to be my next wife." Paulo grinned and took a gulp of his wine.

"Paulo you'll be lucky if you make it the rest of the night without another trip to the bathroom." My mother commented as she passed the pasta and smiled at me.

The rest of the night the conversation centered on everything from Aunt Frilla's missing hair to Paulo's 2nd wife, who left him for the plumber, yeah talk about something that doesn't normally happen. At around 11 that night, I decided to call it a night.

"So why'd you hit me in the back of the head back at the table, Nella? I thought you appreciated the fact that I took you to see _Mamma Mia!_, but if hitting me is how you return the gratitude, next time I'll take you to see something boring." I told her as I grabbed my jacket.

"I know your little secret Gio. You were out with Betty Suarez the other night." Nella saw the look on my face and continued. "Don't worry, I'm not going to tell Ma, she'll keep us up until 3 am bringing out baby pictures of you and I was already scarred from the last time I saw the picture of you running around naked in the living room. Ma overreacts when it comes to women in your life." Nella rolled her eyes.

"How did you find out?" I asked her curiously. I knew Maurizio wouldn't have told her. For a second I had a feeling of fear.

"Justin Suarez told me. We go to school together. I never really figured out the connection until after you took me to see _Wicked_. Justin would not shut up about the show. He annoyed the Breakfast Bunch for a week." Nella sighed.

"Breakfast bunch?" I asked, feeling slightly amused.

"It's our little group of friends. We eat breakfast at school and talk about stuff…" Nella admitted. "What do you see in Justin's sister anyway?" Nella asked with a frown on her face.

"It's hard to explain, Nella." I sighed and looked at my watch. "…and now you've made me late. See you later." I grinned and left through the front door. I hopped into my white van and drove down the streets of Queens. As I looked at a light turn on to my right, I took notice of Hilda coming out of her house with the trash. The bag suddenly broke and I pulled over to help her.

"Gio! Hey, did Betty invite you over?" She asked, looking back at the open door and then back to me.

I shook my head. "Nope. Just passing though and thought you could use my help."

"Thanks, Gio. The possums go crazy over papi's tamales." She smiled and ran into the house, coming out quickly with another bag.

"So it's Tuesday Night Tamale Night." I commented.

"Yeah, how did you know?" Hilda looked up at me suddenly.

"Betty told me the other night, on her birthday." I grinned, remembering our time spent in the carriage.

"Ahhh…" Hilda reflected thoughtfully. "This was something my sister didn't tell us. So you're the reason she stayed out late and missed the party." I thought Hilda was going to look at me in anger, but instead she showed signs of gratitude.

"Betty didn't give you a reason why she was out so late?" I wondered aloud.

"No, but honestly, it's alright. She's a grown girl and can take care of herself. She knows what she's doing." Hilda smiled and I grabbed the trash bag and tossed it in the trashcan. "Congratulations by the way." Hilda smiled and patted me on the back.

"Excuse me?" I gave her a curious look.

"Betty told us that Jennifer Anniston comes to your deli. That must be quite an achievement. I can't even get her 5th cousin twice removed into my salon." Hilda laughed.

"Betty showed you the article then?" I felt like I had missed a step.

"Yeah, she was really excited when she found it while reading the paper." Hilda stopped at the iron fence.

"Interesting…" I noted as Hilda smiled encouragingly.

"Well, I've got to go in. Would you like for me to get Betty?" Hilda suggested.

"Nah, it's late…I should…" I was going to finish off my sentence, but I was interrupted by Betty's voice from inside the house.

"Gio! Hey, what are you doing here?" She called from the door. She slowly wandered out to Hilda and me.

"Betty…I was just leaving. I saw that Hilda needed some help." I turned to leave. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Hilda leave, which meant that I was alone on the street with Betty.

"I saw that article in the paper. I have to admit that I was impressed. You probably give Jennifer Anniston all the sun dried tomatoes on her sandwich." Betty sniggered.

"Wait just a minute…" I turned to face her. "When it comes to the flavor of a sandwich, I know what I'm talking about!" I grinned.

"So I've always had a thing for Patrick Dempsey, what are the chances he'd stop by your deli?" Betty smiled and punched me playfully on the shoulder.

"With an attitude like that, I won't let you come within 10 feet of Patrick Dempsey." I said jokingly. She laughed.

"I have to go in, but I just wanted to let you know that I saw your article." She paused. "Your eye looks better. He admitted to it. Things are good between us now." Betty informed me, although she didn't seem entirely sure about it.

"I have to go now…you know…customers to attend to…" I backed up as Betty gave me a skeptical look.

"Customers? Its midnight, Gio. You're not very good at lying." Betty grinned.

"Neither are you. Goodnight Betty." As I turned to leave, I saw her frown and then wander inside.

The next morning I was at the deli, getting everything ready for the lunch rush as usual. Jack was running the front while I sat in the office. I already had her lunch ready for her and I was going to deliver it personally to her office again. Now that she and I were on speaking terms, it made my days better.

"A tourist came in and I got my picture taken with her! I gotta say that this one was hot Gio. We definitely get the perks….serving Jennifer Anniston and all." Jack grinned and sat down at the vacant seat next to me. He motioned to the brown bag. "Another special delivery?" He winked at me.

"Lunch rush goes a lot better after I see her." I admitted.

"Yeah, because you spend the whole damn lunch rush visiting her and by the time you make it back the rush is over." Jack laughed.

"It's worth it." I looked at my watch. "I should probably get over there. Daniel's probably given her the last thing he needs for her to do before her lunch break." I stood up and grabbed the brown bag.

"You and that girl going to have a little afternoon delight?" Jack asked with a wink.

"Yeah, you guessed it." I grinned and shook my head.

I smiled as I pressed Betty's floor number in the elevator. It had only been about 12 hours since I had last seen her and I already seemed to miss her. The two months she was away from me nearly killed me. She made each long day so much shorter. I smiled as I exited the elevator on her floor. I frowned when I heard muffled shouting on the floor and as I approached the front desk, Amanda stopped me.

"Do I smell another pie? Oh me oh

"It's worth it." I looked at my watch. "I should probably get over there. Daniel's probably given her the last thing he needs for her to do before her lunch break." I stood up and grabbed the brown bag.

"You and that girl going to have a little afternoon delight?" Jack asked with a wink.

"Yeah, you guessed it." I grinned and shook my head.

I smiled as I pressed Betty's floor number in the elevator. It had only been about 12 hours since I had last seen her and I already seemed to miss her. The two months she was away from me nearly killed me. She made each long day so much shorter. I smiled as I exited the elevator on her floor. I frowned when I heard muffled shouting on the floor and as I approached the front desk, Amanda stopped me.

"Do I smell another pie? Oh me oh _my_ I do smell _pie_. How can I help you Juno?" Amanda asked saucily.

"It's Gio. So did you find out Dr. Seuss was your daddy now?" I grinned.

"Very funny Tio…Gene Simmons is still my daddy and if I were you I would be afraid of him. He can be pretty scary." Amanda tried to show me a fierce face, but it wasn't very intimidating. "Anyway, I wouldn't visit Betty now…she's having a confrontation with Grubstank…then again…I love confrontations…come with me Rio…" Amanda grabbed me by the shirt and led me closer.

"What are you talking about?" Betty cried. Her voice was shaking which indicated to me that she was crying. Amanda and I were around the corner, so we could only hear them.

"You and sandwich boy! That's what I'm talking about. I wouldn't pause for a moment before beating his other eye." Henry said defiantly.

"Nothing's going on between me and Gio! Why are you being like this? You just came in here and started to cause a scene…this isn't fair to me." Betty pleaded.

"Fair, do you really want to play fair Betty?" Henry raised his voice slightly. "What did you do for your birthday?"

"I…I…" Betty began, but an angry Henry cut her off.

"Right, you never told me. I found the napkin. When were you going to tell me?" Henry asked angrily.

"Maybe if you gave me the chance to interject your ranting, I would explain." Betty cut in angrily.

"Fine. Convince me to not be so upset." Henry replied.

"Ok, I admit that maybe I was wrong for not telling you I went out with Gio." I couldn't help but smile when she said my name. I saw out of the corner of my eye that Amanda was now looking at me. "What was I supposed to do Henry? I felt like a fool sitting alone outside at that restaurant. You need to be able to trust me." Betty lowered her voice a little.

"I trust you…it's just him I don't trust. I'm sorry Betty, but I only have around a month left with you." I peeked around the corner and noticed that Henry and Betty were now in an embrace.

"Henry, it's all going to work out." Betty said in a persuasive voice. I grinned because it seemed to me that Betty was trying to persuade Henry into believing everything would be alright. "You and Gio should be friends…he's a decent guy." Betty continued.

There was a long pause. "Well, if it's what you really want. Though if I accidentally smack him in the other eye…" Henry pondered aloud.

"Henry, that's not something to joke about. I'm still really upset that you hit him.' Betty sighed loudly. "I think you need to leave."

"I thought our argument was over?" Henry said hotly.

"It is, but you're about to cause another scene, which is why I think you should go count money…it calms you down." Betty responded.

"So it's always going to be like then?" Henry asked angrily. "Well I have to say that this is going to get pretty exhausting." Henry whined loudly. Footsteps told Amanda and I that Henry was heading our way, so we sneaked behind a corner.

Henry had a look of anger and annoyance on his face. Amanda eyed me curiously and mouthed, "What did you do?" I said nothing. Finally, I saw Betty head somewhere. She was obviously upset about what happened with Henry, so I thought I would follow her. I grabbed the brown paper bag that contained her lunch and left Amanda sitting alone. Betty went into the bathroom and I followed.

"Go away Amanda…now is not the time to brag about your father." Betty responded to my footsteps with a few sniffs.

"Chicken salad with avocado." I sat down and offered her the bag. She turned to me and smiled. Her face was slightly pink and tear stained.

"Thanks, I can never refuse a good meal." She faked a smile and took the bag. "I guess you heard…"

"I think the French and British even heard you." I chuckled.

"He's just under a lot of stress right now. With Charlie so close to her due date, Henry is just realizing the little time we have left." Betty admitted with another sniff.

"Yeah, I suppose he would be." I replied in a distant voice.

"Look, thanks for the sandwich. I should go…" Betty stood up.

"I'm sorry if I got you in trouble with Henry." I knew there was no doubt in my mind that the argument between the two was about me.

"Boyfriends are nice, but they don't compare to those who are there for you the most." She smiled at me. I frowned because it seemed like she wanted to say more, but couldn't I read between the lines by seeing the look on her face. I concluded that Henry was becoming more distant and not there for her when she needed it.

"The best relationships are the ones where someone's there for you Betty. Remember that." I turned to leave, but paused. "I'll be back tomorrow. Same time…but just…I different place…" I grinned and looked around the bathroom.

"Sounds like a plan." Betty smiled.

As I pressed the L button on the elevator, I smiled. Betty had a way of brightening my day. I knew that she was slowly falling apart with all of the Henry drama, so I was trying to be the tender guy and not be as brash as I normally was. She didn't need to be annoyed with someone else at the moment.


	3. All the Small Things

It was late, and I was hungry. I pulled the covers off of me and stumbled around my bedroom and through the hallway leading to the kitchen. I didn't even bother to put a shirt on because I was going for a quick midnight snack. I opened the fridge and poured myself a glass of milk. I knew exactly what type of sandwich I wanted to make. I pulled out the container labeled "chicken salad" and scooped a few spoonfuls into the pita bread. I was the biggest fan of pita bread. I added a few sun dried tomatoes and pepper jack cheese. I was about to take my first victorious bite.

"Gio…did you make that sandwich for me?" I turned around to see myself staring at Betty. Out of surprise, I knocked the glass of milk down across the floor, getting Betty splashed in the process. The glass shattered.

"Betty…what are you doing here?" I asked suddenly, trying to locate paper towels.

"Well, you invited me, remember? I really needed someone to talk to and you let me crash on your couch last night." Betty grinned.

"Right…I remember now. Here, let me clean that milk up off you. I sadly only have my little smiling pickle napkin." I laughed at our private joke as she grinned back. I handled the napkin with care as I brushed it across her olive toned arms.

"So, you decided to have a midnight snack without me? That's cruel and unusual punishment." Betty said. She suddenly grabbed the napkin from my hand and threw it on the floor.

"You alright Betty? That perfume was thrown away." I looked at her as she had a wild expression on her face.

"No, Gio…I'm not alright. The funny thing is…." She paused and maintained eye contact with me. "I can't stop thinking about you." She grabbed my arm passionately.

My heart skipped a beat. Hell, I felt like I skipped a million steps and signs. "What?" My brain was racing. "Are you serious about this Betty?"

"More serious than I have ever been." Betty sighed heavily. "I've been stupid…childish…immature to never see the signs." Betty now had a grip on both of my arms. "I want you. I need passion in my life and there's only one man who can give it to me." I was taken aback by Betty's irrational behavior, but it was a bit of a turn on at the same time.

"Passion?" I nodded.

"Yes, Gio. We have chemistry. Chicken salad is like ambrosia to me!" She said as she bit into the sandwich and acknowledged its good taste.

"Are you sure about this Betty?" I hesitated. "Because honestly, there's been something I have been meaning to tell you for awhile now. You see, it's been eating up inside of me for awhile." I paused and smiled because she was all ears. "I'm in love with you. I have felt the chemistry way before you ever did."

"Really?" She looked down at the broken glass with the milk that remained on the floor and looked back at me. "Gio, why me?"

I sighed. "Because, you're the life of every room you walk into. You leave me breathless every time you leave the room. I have never felt this way about someone before. I don't want to be like a cheesy Hallmark card, but there's just something about you that makes me try to grab your attention." I laughed. "I've never worked harder to get a girl's attention before."

"You won me over with 'Once around the block'" she grinned and put her arms around my shirtless shoulders. "For once, I don't have to stand on my tip toes to have my hands around a guy's shoulders." She smiled and looked into my eyes.

"Betty, what about Henry?" I asked slowly.

"Henry…well…he left for Tucson. Wow…you have a bad memory. Too many flaming flamingo drinks, eh?" Betty was no longer embracing me. She nudged me with her comment.

"Man, how many drinks did I have…." I stopped because a though suddenly occurred to me. "Wait…did we?" My hand motions indicated a possible one night stand, but she shook her head.

"No, you were a good friend to me last night." Betty looked back down at the broken glass. "However, things change." She took me by the hand. "Plus, this whole shirtless thing is a turn on." She grinned.

I couldn't help but smile. "Are you serious Betty? Look…I don't really know…" I was a little skeptical about the whole situation.

"Gio, I'm not denying it anymore. I have feelings for you….my feelings for Henry left with him leaving for Tucson. It's over. I'm in love with someone else now. I have just been too proud to see what was right in front of my eyes." She smiled a devilish smile and grabbed me by the hand. I followed.

"Betty…are…you sure about this?" I asked suddenly. We were now in the hallway. She turned and grabbed my face in her hands.

"Yes, never been surer before in my life. I'm ready to have a whole lot of fun." She grinned at our little inside joke. I grinned back.

"I love you Betty." Was all I could manage to say when I looked into her beautiful face.

"I love you too, Gio." She led me into the room and I closed the door after us.

* * *

The alarm went off. It was so early in the morning and I wasn't ready to be responsible sandwich making Gio. Not after a night with someone I loved. I turned over to turn the alarm off.

"Good morning…" I mumbled with a smile. I opened my eyes a moment later and frowned. There was no indication that anyone had ever slept next to me. I rolled out of bed, disappointed. It was all a dream.

I decided to take a quick shower and get to work as quickly as possible. It was sad that I was having dreams about her because I couldn't be with her in real life in the way I wanted. As I got out of the shower, I wrapped a towel around my waist and heard my phone ring. Hoping that it would be her, I ran to the phone and then casually answered it.

"Hello?" I responded to the ring.

"Giovanni, it's your mother." My face fell slightly. It wasn't her. Why my mother always announced herself when she called, I hadn't a clue.

"Ma, hi…it's 7am….why are you calling so early?" I asked as I blinked a few times trying to wake myself up.

"Antonella is having trouble in English class. Would you be willing to do me a favor and talk to her teacher for me? I have a lot to do today." My mother responded.

I sighed. "I can go right before the lunch rush, I guess."

My mother gave a sigh of relief. "Grazie Gio! I don't know why her grades have been slipping. I'll call the school and tell them to expect you this morning. I need to go now. I love my little Giovanni…." I grimaced as my mother referred to me in a childlike manner and hung up.

A few hours later, I found myself in front of Jackson Heights Junior High School. I entered through the front entrance and wandered into the office. A lady who looked about as ancient as the last living dinosaur greeted me.

"Do you have a valid excuse for why you're late mister?" She eyed me suspiciously.

"No ma'am…I'm not a student." I raised my eyebrow, wondering why she saw me as a student. "I'm here to meet with Mrs. Holbertson, in reference to my sister Antonella Rossi." I looked around the office quickly and then back at the secretary.

"Right, you may go ahead and go to the room. Mrs. Holbertson has a break now." She didn't acknowledge me anymore.

I wandered aimlessly down the halls, not knowing where I was going. Suddenly, I heard a familiar voice shouting at someone in the hall.

"My boy is talented; he just can't hit the balls!" I grinned as I set eyes on Hilda. She was arguing with the gym teacher. "That may not have come out right, but listen to me Mr.Diaz….."

The man interjected. "Please call me Coach Diaz, all the other kids to." He grinned at her.

"Fine, well anyway…I don't know what kind of operation you people are running here…but is there anything I can do to up his grades?" I watched as Hilda ran her fingers through the man's hair. "You could use a haircut Coach…I know just the place." I chuckled and turned to leave. Hilda suddenly caught site of me.

"Gio! What are you going at Jackson Heights?" I walked over to her and the man.

"I got a call from my mother. Antonella needs help in English." I answered promptly.

"Seems to be a theme around here." Hilda eyed the gym teacher.

"Look, Mrs. Suarez….I…uh…am flattered by the haircut offer, but your son needs to start participating or he will fail gym." Coach Diaz nodded at me and then glanced at Hilda before leaving.

"Can you believe that guy? He wants to fail my Justin because Justin doesn't do anything in gym." Hilda huffed angrily.

"Well, not to place myself onto anyone's side, but he does have a point." I admitted.

"Ay, take his side because you're a muchacho just like him. It's alright. So, does Antonella have the dreaded old bat Mrs. Holbertson? Justin has her, but he likes to read all of those romantic novels they're reading now…" Hilda informed me.

"Actually, I'm trying to find her room." I looked anxiously at my watch. I didn't want to be rude, but I didn't have much time left.

"Down the hall and the 2nd door on the right. Watch out, she has been known to bring in _Madame Bovary_ and other depressing books into conversation. She's a really depressing lady…I dunno." Hilda threw up her hands. She turned to leave but stopped suddenly. "Is everything alright between you and Betty?" She asked.

I was thrown for a loop with her question. "What, yeah…it's all great." I said rather unconvincingly.

Hilda nodded slowly, but she didn't look convinced. "Betty's been acting a little weird for the past few days. You haven't seen her in a few days, have you?" She asked.

"Yeah I saw her last…" I stopped myself. I remembered that it was just a dream. "No, last time I saw her…she had just had a fight with Henry."

"Oh, well…Betty's been so sweet about the whole baby's mama issue. She's throwing Charlie a surprise party this weekend at our house." Hilda rolled her eyes in an annoyed manner.

"Hilda, I really need to go…" I said honestly, but at the same time I wondered why she was telling me all of this information.

"Right…nice seeing you again Gio. Don't be afraid to stop by our house and help with _trash duty_." She smiled and left. I hung for a moment on her final two words. She seemed to be implying something else. I shrugged and made my way to the classroom.

Sure enough, twenty minutes later, Mrs. Holbertson was going on and on about the title character in _Madame Bovary_ and it was depressing the hell out of me, not to mention boring me in the process. I looked over at her collection of novels and grinned at a few of them. My eyes fell on _American Pastoral_ and _The Great Gatsby_. I had always liked Gatsby because he was unfailingly in love with a woman who would never return his love. I turned my attention back to the babbling bat.

"…So what I'm saying is that your sister's grade is in jeopardy for this class, Mr.Rossi." She blinked twice.

"SO what can we do to help?" I asked.

She thought for a moment. "Well there are several things, but really there's a way she can get extra credit." Mrs. Holbertson paused and made sure she had my attention. "We have this big dance at the end of the year, but no one ever wants to chaperone it. We're desperate for chaperones. If you chaperone…you sister passes." Mrs. Holberston offered.

I thought for a moment. "Alright, I can do it." I sighed. I hated stupid Junior High dances. I was not the boy who went to them dressed all nice and prepped up.

"Fabulous. The dance is next Friday night. We'll see you at the gym at 8:00p.m. sharp!" She smiled and shook my hand.

I exited the school feeling a dark cloud looming over me. I couldn't believe that I had agreed to do this. Antonella would owe me big time for this. I opened the front door to my deli and accidentally knocked into one of my customers and their drink split on the ground.

"I am so sorry…." I had crouched down and when I stood up my body froze. "Betty." This scene was similar to my dream I had with her. At this moment, I wanted to hold me.

"Gio, I …was…just…just leaving." She looked jittery.

"Here, I have a napkin…it's not much." I offered her the same smiling pickle napkin that was present in my dream.

"Thanks, so it was nice to…" Betty tried to leave quickly, but I stopped her in the doorway.

"You alright? Did you come to see me?" I asked hopeful.

"No." Her response stung me in the heart. "I came to get a sandwich, that's all. I…I have to go…" She took herself out of the embrace I had on her arm.

"Betty…wait….did I do something wrong?" I felt like I had missed a step.

"Your eye looks better, Gio. It's healed actually." She sighed and said hurriedly, "I really have to go. Too many things to think about…you know…" With that she left me standing alone in the doorway.

"Right, too many things to think about…" I repeated slowly to myself.


	4. So Close

I held two shirts in front of the mirror. One was a metallic blue while the other was red. At first I placed the blue shirt on and shrugged. It was just a dance and I was just doing it for Nella.

"I'd go with the red, Gio." Nella peaked through the doorway as I raised her eyebrow.

"Nah, I really like the metallic blue. By the end of the night you'll go from an F to an A." I winked at Nella as she rolled her eyes at me.

"I don't have to thank you…you know." She replied sarcastically.

"So you would rather fail and stay over the summer when we go on the Rossi family trip to Italy. Come on Nella, we go every year." I kindly reminded her.

"So what's a stupid trip to Italy anyway?" She snapped.

"Rossi family tradition, Nella. How many brothers would chaperone a hormonal dance for their sister's grade?" I nodded as she shook her head in agreement.

"Whatever…Holbertson hates me. I wouldn't be surprised if she still fails me." She complained.

I looked in the mirror, still paying attention to my sister. "She'd better not fail you…we already have your plane ticket, Nella. I'd hate to have to replace you." I smiled and decided to go with the red shirt.

"The red compliments your skin tone nicely." Nella admired from afar. "Do you have a date?"

"Nah. I plan on making sure the bathrooms are free from experimenting hormonal teens." I grinned and Nella disappeared.

An hour later, I wandered out of my bedroom and saw Nella sitting at the dining room table, tapping her fingers on the surface of the table. She was dressed in a lilac dress with her hair halfway up and curled.

"Took you long enough. You'd think you were preparing for a date or something." He rolled her eyes and stood up.

"Ready to go I assume?" I ingnored her comments as she nodded. "You want me to drop you off at the corner so you won't be seen with your brother?" I suggested.

"No, are you kidding me? All the girls at this school think you're freaking 'Prince Charming'. I want to milk it for what it's worth." Nella grinned as she led the way to my white van.

"Prince charming…hmm…" I climbed into the driver's side and drove us in silence.

Nella turned on the radio as 'All the Small Things' came on the radio. Immediately my love sick mind went to thinking about Betty. The little things about her drove me crazy. She didn't leave me roses by the stairs or surprises to show she cared. No, she was just different. The B necklace intrigued me. Her hair was always in the same place. Her glasses….her braces.

"GIO! RABBIT!" Nella announced loudly as she gripped the seat in fear. I heard a huge thump and realized we were too late. I looked over at Nella who looked petrified.

"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention." I admitted.

"Pull over." Nella said quietly. I objected, but she wouldn't take no for an answer.

I chuckled as Nella bent down. She punched me in the shoulder. "Sorry, what's with 'National Punch Gio Week'?" I joked. Nella didn't think it was funny, instead she gasped.

"It's still alive! Gio…" She looked up at me with the look of 'can we keep it' and immediately I shook my head no.

"Gio…please….look at it. There has to be something we can do…" Nella looked down at the rabbit and back up at me. I sighed and went into the back of my van and came back with a carrot stick.

"Here…carrot stick for Bugs." I offered the bunny a carrot stick, but it didn't look like it had the energy to even move its head let alone eat.

"You're not being very funny. No wonder Justin says his aunt is easily irritated with you." Nella commented.

I had turned to see what else I could find, but I stopped abruptly. "What?"

Nella raised an eyebrow. "I'm surprised you haven't caught on." She wandered to the back of the van and found a soft blanket to lay the injured rabbit on.

"Caught on to what?" I asked curiously.

"You're so far up into this whole mess of liking her that you haven't realized it. Sometimes you're too abrasive for your own good." Nella remarked.

I sighed impatiently. "Are you going to continue to put down my self-esteem or get to the point?"

"Well, Tina Gambarro found out from Frank Izip who found out through Justin Suarez that his sister has the hots for some guy that annoys the hell out of her." Nella gave me a meaningful look.

Normally, I would chide her on the language, but this information caught me by surprise. "She what?"

"..and I thought you had gone crazy when I learned that you fell for her. She's kind of plain." Nella remarked.

"Well, that's because you don't really know her. Justin said she likes me?" She had piqued my interest now.

"Yeah, no big deal though." Nella looked at her watch. "Gio we're going to be late." She took on last look at the bunny, making sure it was safely put and hopped into the front seat.

"What exactly did she say about me?" I asked as I started the engine and drove toward the school.

"Justin said that she was really thankful that you did what you did for her birthday. That's good and well considering that Henry left. I still can't believe you made me sit next to him at Wicked." Nella grumbled.

I did a double take. "Henry left?'

"Yeah, Betty never told you?" She let out a short breath. "That's pretty sad considering the fact that you think you're close to Betty."

"I haven't seen her in a few weeks. Well I saw her the beginning of last week, but she seemed preoccupied." I remembered.

"Well, Henry left a few days ago. Apparently she's taking it alright." Nella commented as I parked in front of the school. "I'm going to go ahead and go in. Just so you know, Ella Grimes is going to ask you to dance." Nella grinned and did one last check up on the rabbit and walked into the building.

I sat alone for a moment thinking about what Betty must be going through. I wanted to be there for her, but I didn't know how. I was stuck chaperoning a dance when I could be there for her during her time of need. I sighed and got out of the van. Slowly, I made my way into the building and as I approached the gym, I noticed someone standing alone at the trophy case. To my surprise, it was her. I smiled to myself and stood behind her, hoping to catch her off guard.

"Trophy for Prim Queen, I'm guessing?" I commented over her shoulder and grinned. Betty jumped slightly and turned around with a flushed face.

"Gio! What are you doing here?" She asked. There was a slight edge to her voice, but it was stronger than the time she exited my deli a week ago.

"Chaperoning, making sure little hormonal teens don't use the bathrooms for exploring…you know…the usual." I responded. She had on a dark pink dress and she looked really good. "You look really nice tonight."

"I won this trophy back in 1997. It was a special award only awarded to Hispanic students. I remember because it was a story about my mother." Betty's voice faltered slightly.

"I bet it was an amazing story." I responded. I had nothing else to say and now was not the time to crack any of my usual jokes.

"They wouldn't let me keep it. The school wanted it for their very own." Betty sighed and stared at the trophy.

"Lucky you've got me then." I grinned as she gave me a quizzical look and I pulled out a pocket knife. "I knew this would come in handy after I snatched from a boy scout." To my surprise Betty laughed.

"Aren't you afraid we'll get caught?" She looked around cautiously.

"It's got your name on it. You earned it." I began to fiddle with the trophy case. "Besides if Betty wants something, I'll help her get it." I tried to pry the trophy case open, but it wouldn't budge.

"Gio…" I looked at her suddenly as she called my name. "About the other day…." As much as I wanted her to continue, now was not the time for confessions. I knew that my feelings would come out of my mouth before I could contain myself.

"I think I can get this open." I banged the palm of my hand against the hinge hard and it popped open. "There you go." I took out the trophy and handed it to her.

She looked at the trophy for a moment and smiled and then our eyes met. We stared at one another for a long moment. She wanted to tell me something and at the same time I wanted to tell her the reason that made it impossible for me to ever stay away from her.

"Hey! Explain yourselves!" A huffy looked black man approached us angrily. I assumed he was the principal. I gave Betty a meaningful look indicating that it was time for her to use her creative mind.

"Principal Sharpe, it's me…Betty Suarez. I'm with Mode magazine and we would like to feature your school and the fact that you take excellent care of your….of your trophy case and trophies." Betty lied.

"Well, we do take pride in the amount of trophies our students win." The principal chuckled.

"Oh and see you've met our professional trophy polisher who Mode has gone out of their way to hire. This is Gio and he has volunteered to shine all of the trophies for you. That's how he was able to open the trophy case." She beamed at me as I did a double take and then turned to the principal.

"Yes sir. I've been in business for 10 years now." I played along and glared at Betty, who smiled at me. The principal nodded to both of us and left.

"Hey…that was not funny Betty! I don't know the first thing about shining trophies." I said to her with caution.

"Yes, but the great thing about this situation was that I got us out of being in trouble." Betty grinned and suddenly threw her arms around me. "Thank you, Gio. This really means a lot to me." She withdrew and stared at her trophy.

The embrace lasted a shorter time than I hoped it would. "Perhaps we should go in and actually watch the kids." I offered Betty my arm, and she slowly took it, to my delight.

"The kids are alright. It's the other chaperones we have to watch out for." Betty grinned and pointed at Hilda who was talking with Coach Diaz rather closely. We entered into the gym where the boys were standing on one side of the wall and the girls were on the other.

"Some things never change." I commented as Betty smiled. She let go of my arm and began to wander toward the girl's side. Suddenly, the song _At Last_ began to play.

"Betty…" I extended my arm to invite her to dance. She looked at me for a moment. "For old times sake." I grinned.

_At last my love has come along  
My lonely days are over  
And life is like a song_

Betty smiled and slowly approached me. "Alright. You do realize that we'll be the only ones dancing." I nodded and began to lead her slowly.

_At last the skies above are blue  
And my heart was wrapped up in clover  
The night I looked at you_

I looked at her suddenly, as she looked lost in thought. "Is everything alright?" I asked.

"Yes, I was just thinking." She smiled reflectively. "Once again, you go and do something that means something to me." She looked up at me and stared into my eyes for a long moment.

_I found a dream, that I could speak to  
A dream that I can call my own  
I found a thrill to press my cheek to  
A thrill that I have never known_

We continued to dance close to one another. I could feel a million pairs of eyes on us. "For what it's worth, I never falter when it comes to doing things for you." I couldn't believe I was about to admit my feelings for her.

_Ohh yeah yeah…  
You smile, you smile  
oh And then the spell was cast  
And here we are in heaven  
for you are mine...  
At Last_

With the last line of the song, I spun Betty out and then back into me and held her close. "You look really good in red." She admitted breathlessly.

I smiled. "Thanks." Then I decided now was as good a time as any to come out with my feelings. "Betty I…."

"Dios Mio! Look at you two. You got those kids to dance." Hilda appeared and nudged Betty's shoulder. Betty immediately pulled away. I turned and watched as the kids beagn to dance.

"Oh, well that's good. Now I have a little more research to do." Betty looked over at a girl sitting by herself. She looked at me and smiled. I could tell that she felt awkward about being parted so suddenly by Hilda.

"So you and Betty…" Hilda looked up at me and then toward Betty, who was now sitting and talking with a girl.

"If it's not what she wants…" I tried to comprehend what Betty might be feeling.

"I know my sister. She doesn't dance with just anyone. I know I kind of ruined the moment, but here's how I need to make it up…." Hilda looked over at Justin. "Ay, Justin! We've got to get home now and help Papi with that stuff."

"What stuff?" Justin asked, oblivious to the plans. Suddenly he remembered. "Right, ok well see ya Nella." Justin wandered over to us. "Let's go mom before my hair begins to frizz." He smiled at me and walked out of the gym with Hilda. I looked over at Nella, who was giving me the wriest smile ever.

I walked over to Nella just as Betty made her way back to me. "Did Hilda just leave with Justin? She was my ride home." Betty frowned.

"Hilda said something about needing to help your father with something." I shifted my weight onto one foot. "I don't mind giving you a ride home." I offered.

"Well, if it's not going to be any trouble." Betty smiled and then turned to Nella. "Hi Nella, did you enjoy the dance?"

"Well I enjoyed sitting here for 2 hours waiting for Will freaking Thomas to ask me to dance. Oh well….so I saw you were talking to Christina the Cat-faced girl." Nella commented.

"Oh well she was really nice…I had a good conversation with her." Betty informed us. I shot Nella a meaningful look and she rolled her eyes. "Of course that's what the rest of the kids call her. Can we go now?" Nella got up and led the way.

Betty and I followed behind. "So you've gotten back into writing?" I asked.

"Sort of, I'm starting by doing a short story where a girl about my age and a girl in Junior High reflect on moments of school." She informed me.

"Would you sign this napkin?" I gave me one of my napkins from the deli. She gave me a confused look. "For when you're famous." I smiled as she retuned my smile and signed the napkin.

She paused and looked at me. "I'll never be famous. I'll be working at Mode my whole life." She sighed. I could no longer take it.

"No." I shook my head and she looked at me curiously. "You're already famous to me. Every time I hear your name my face lights up, Betty. I can't hide this any longer. Ever since we met I couldn't wait until the next moment we'd meet up again. Betty, I have wanted to tell you for the longest time now. Really, I wanted to tell you the other day, but you looked preoccupied. I can't let someone slip out of my life if they're all I think about. You're my reality. I used to live in a fantasy and then you stepped in my life with your stupid sun dried tomatoes and you got me hooked." I paused and sighed. "What I'm saying is that I'm….I'm in love with you."

We stood there for a long moment, simply staring at one another. Funny thing is, that there was no feeling of discomfort between the two of us.


	5. Betty at Bat

Betty stared at me for a moment. A smile slowly crept across her face as her braces gleamed from the lighting of the hallway. She took a step closer and opened her mouth to speak, but we were interrupted.

"Dearest brother. If you have any plans to get me home before my curfew, I suggest we leave now." Nella stood in the doorway and looked rather bored.

Betty nervously led the way to my white van. "So I see this is your noble white steed?" She joked as she leaned against my van.

"As always." I grinned. Nella coughed loudly indicating and I looked over at her disgusted face. I opened the door and to my disappointment, Nella sat in the middle of me and Betty.

"So…how about some music?" I suggested. I flipped on a random channel. I smiled because I had heard this song before. As _The Way I Am_ played in the background I would steal an occasional glance at Betty, who was stealing glances at me and grinning.

"Ugh, honestly…you two make me want to gag!" Nella finally admitted aloud. Suddenly there was the sound of thudding coming from one of my tires. I pulled over knowing exactly what was wrong.

"Flat tire…" I motioned for Nella and Betty to get out so I could fix it. While Nella went to the back to check on the rabbit, I walked over to Betty. "Are you cold? I have a blanket in the back…" I offered.

"I'm fine." She waved my offer away. "I'm actually only a block away. I can walk." She smiled encouragingly at me.

"Nah, it really won't take that long…" The thought of her walking on her own, and more specifically without me, ate me up inside.

"No…Gio…my dad will start to wonder where I am. I promise to call when I get there." She smiled and touched my shoulder. We were surprisingly comfortable together. I sighed as she walked away.

"You've fallen hard for that girl." Nella commented as she cradled the bunny in her arms. It looked a little better.

"…yeah…" I responded absentmindedly as I searched for the car jack. Ten minutes later, we were back in business.

The moment I set foot back in the van, it started to pour rain. I received the text from her telling me she made it home, but I wanted to hear her voice. Sadly, I drove down her street, on the way back to my own. I looked over at Nella and she seemed to be reading my mind. She nodded in agreement at my unspoken question and I pulled off at Betty's. I left the van running and ran out in the rain without an umbrella and made my way up the stairs and knocked.

"Ay! Gio!" Hilda gasped as she realized who was at the door and that she had facial stuff all over her face. "Looking for Betty I assume? Come on in." She waved me in and yelled up the stairs at Betty. Betty came running down the stairs and stopped when she saw me.

"I just realized….I'm making arroz con pollo…" Hilda lied as she slipped out, leaving the two of us alone.

"I got your text that you made it home alright." I hung in limbo for a few minutes, waiting for her to respond. She shifted her weight onto one foot.

"Gio…I just think that I need some time to think." Betty seemed to be answering my confession. I nodded.

"Well have a good night then." I smiled and within a second she returned the smile that I moved so much.

As I stepped back out into the rain I could have sworn that I heard Hilda and Betty discussing something, but I ignored it. The rain began to fall harder as I made my way down her sidewalk and to my van. I heard a door behind me swing open and I as I turned around, I saw Betty running toward me. I squinted because the rain was beating really hard on my face. She ran up to me and stopped an inch away from me.

"I know that Henry just left and things might be slightly complicated right now. I just wanted to say goodnight." She smiled and before I knew it, she kissed me on the cheek and pranced inside. A kiss was a kiss to me though and it was enough to make me hold on to any form of hope.

I entered the van with a smile on my face. "I would gag, but I haven't the energy after watching that." Nella grinned and we rode back in silence.

A few days passed as I made my way up to Betty's office to deliver her usual sandwich. I stopped by the front desk as Amanda was finishing up with a person on the phone. She rolled her eyes and yawned.

"Ah, are you here to deliver some pasta? You people are taking over this office! First Betty brings Taco Thursday and you bring Moussaka on Mondays. Clever." Amanda shrugged.

"Listen, is Betty around?" I knew Amanda was the eyes of the office and new practically everything.

"Well SB to the PC…she's with Grubstank…he came back and maybe it's just me, but he was freaking hot….the way he marched in here and brought a ring with him. I'm not the marrying type but I would so do him if he gave me a rock like the one he gave Betty." Amanda put her hand over her mouth. "Oops, did I say too much?...My bad!" She shrugged and went back to ignoring me.

I decided to see for myself. I walked through the office and to my disappointment, she was not there.

"Gio, hey buddy, Betty's out with Henry right now." I turned to see Daniel watching me curiously.

"What? He's back?" I tried to pull any information I could from Daniel.

"Didn't Betty tell you? Hmm…yeah he came back early this morning. He forgot a few things." Daniel pulled me into his office. "He proposed to Betty." Daniel didn't seem to thrilled about it, nor did I.

"So, it's true then? I thought it was another one of Amanda's stories…"

"It's true." Daniel said unenthusiastically. "…Which brings me to you."

"Me?" I responded.

"Look, I think you're a fantastic guy for her…she's been really down lately and you've helped her through lots of things. I think she only said yes to Henry because she was afraid of never having a moment like that again." Daniel gave me a quizzical look. "So, here's where I am going to help you."

I shifted my weight. "Look, Daniel…what's done is done…she made her choice. It's none of my business…I do love her and I have no idea why I'm telling you this, but I do. I'm going to Italy for the summer and I just found out that my sister can't go because of summer school…..I was actually going to ask Betty to come with me." I frowned.

"Everyone needs a little jump in the relationship. We need an extra player in our charity event against Elle. I hear you are a fantastic baseball player. Would you like to join our team?" Daniel pulled out an orange and white uniform.

"What's this have to do with Betty?" I asked.

"Well, she's going to be on the team. She complained to me about it already and well…she needs someone with experience to teach her the ropes of baseball." Daniel eyed me when he said that.

"I don't think this is a very good idea. Look, I don't want to mess up what Betty thinks she might have with Henry, alright. I appreciate what you're trying to do, but I should really let Betty get on with her own life." I got up to walk away.

"I don't mean to pry. It's just that the recent business with Renee has really made me understand the importance of real love. Her love with Henry is a fantasy love…I've seen the way you look at her…the way the two of you talk…and the way she talks about you…" Daniel laid the uniform on his sofa and moved to his desk.

"Thanks, but I'm alright…" I left the office and waited for the elevator. A frantic blond woman entered with some clothes.

"Oy, can you press the Lobby level, love?" She had her hands full so I nodded and smiled politely. We stood a moment in silence.

"I see you've got your hands full of some…Dolce and some Prada….and….ah well I don't know all of that designer stuff." I admitted. I only knew some of the clothes that Betty told me about.

"You seem to know a fair amount better than your lot." She smiled and extended a hand amidst the clothes. "Christina McKinney, seamstress here in this hell hole." I took her hand. Her name seemed vaguely familiar.

"Giovanni Rossi, sandwich aficionado." I introduced myself and grinned. She suddenly grabbed my shoulder.

"I know you! Bloody hell, you and I have an acquaintance! Betty is the only one I can stand in this office." Christina dropped some of the clothes as I helped her pick them up.

"Yeah, you're Christina…she does talk about you. Nice to put a name with a face." I sighed.

"If you're sighing because a certain number guy has come back into the picture…" She waited until she had my attention. "Then I suggest you get your soddy arse into shape and fight for her….Women love it when two men they love fight for them…it's just plain sexy." Christina was lost for a few moments in a daydream.

"What are you saying Christina?" I gave her a look of confusion.

"I'm saying go out there and fight with Henry on top of that Betty train…ooohhh that didn't come out right, did it? Oh, who cares…it's just so hot!" Christina beamed.

"Yeah, well…I didn't realize that she had feelings like that for me…" I recalled the kiss on the cheek and at that moment I thought I stood a chance, and then Henry proposed. "I haven't had the chance to even tell her I'm leaving for Italy…"

"You're what? This is just all too much for me. Oh…why do I have to be pregnant at such a great dramatic sexy time….Ohh….I have to pee…" Christina exited suddenly right when we reached the lobby.

I stood for a moment and then made a mad dash back to the elevator and back up to the Mode office. Within minutes I was standing in Daniel's office and I grabbed the orange and white uniform. Daniel waved at me and acknowledged me with a hand wave.

"New you would come to your senses. Betty will be waiting for you at this park at 2 this afternoon." Daniel handed me a slip of paper and a bag with bats and balls in it. "Gio, you're the guy. I know I don't know much about relationships…seeing as mine fall apart…but I can see who makes Betty truly happy." He smiled and shook my hand. "I'm late for a meeting with Fabia…take care of her….we need to beat Elle!" He grinned and left me alone in his office.

I looked at my watch and noticed that I only had 20 minutes to be at the park. I quickly called a cab and made it just in time. I stood in the exact spot that Daniel told me to. It was funny that he gave me specific directions, but I wasn't one to complain. In that instant I saw her, with a drink in her hand. I sighed as my heart seemed to stop.

"Gio…? What….what are you doing here? Daniel was supposed to be my baseball trainer…" Betty looked bewildered. I noticed that she quickly covered up her ring finger and turned away from me. A moment later, she had nothing on her finger.

"Well, Daniel said you could use some help. Apparently someone has told him that I played baseball in high school and he recruited me to the team." I winked at her as she blushed.

"Since you're already here...I guess it wouldn't hurt to hit a few balls around." She said and then caught me grinning and rolled her eyes. "Stop…stop grinning….seriously…stop." I grinned even broader. I was making her blush now.

"Alright, let's go…" I walked with her by my side. I stole a glance at her and smiled.

"Stop…" She blushed again.

"You stop…" I replied.

"No…you stop…stop grinning….you always think dirty thoughts." She finally stated.

We made our way to an open area. "Alright, I'm going to give you the bat and I am going to pitch the ball to you. Swing the bat and hit the ball and then run." I smiled and backed up. Then I grinned and came forward in an exaggerated manner.

"Hey, back up Rossi. I'm going to have a home run and you'll be sorry!" She explained. I shook my head and sighed and pitched the ball.

"Strike 1." I replied as she swung. "You swung and missed."

"I did not swing!" She shot back.

"Did too!" I replied.

"Ugh, you're particularly annoying today!" She replied.

"Ok, well let's move onto something else then….alright…" I grabbed her by the arm. She remained comfortable with my hand on her arm. Finally we stopped and I let go. "Stay here…." I ran back to the bat and grabbed a ball. "Ok, I'm going to hit this to you Betty. See that glove; I want you to catch it."

"The glove?" Betty replied sarcastically. She took a sip from her drink.

"Alright Betty, pick up the GLOVE….with the glove catch the BALL." I grinned as she threw the glove in my direction. "Nice throw….for a girl." I walked the glove back over to her. "Ready Betty?" I chuckled with my rhyme as Betty stood in the position, ready to catch.

I tossed the ball and hit it. I didn't have time to warn her. Before I knew it, she was flat on her back. "BETTY!" I ran over to her and leaned down over her.

"Ooowww…" She began to giggle. "I think my drink got the worst of the hit." She motioned to the spilled drink. "My head caught the ball…sort of…"

I was cautious as I pressed my fingers lightly on her forehead. "Is this where it hurts?" I looked down at her and she nodded. She was looking at me reflectively. "Betty…I'm…I'm so sorry." I still remained over her, slightly hovering. Neither of us felt uncomfortable.

"Gio…it's not your fault…" She said breathlessly.

"It is…" I replied.

"Is not!" She shot back as a smile crept over her face.

At this point, I couldn't help myself. I leaned in and kissed her. I stopped as she looked at me and smiled. I bent down and kissed her more passionately and she wrapped her arms around me. I couldn't help but feel slightly victorious.


	6. Choices

After that felt like a lifetime, I finally kneeled and offered Betty my hand. She looked a little woozy from the kiss, but stuck out her hand. I pulled her up and close and we stared at one another for a few moments without saying anything. Finally, she was the first to speak.

"Gio, there's something I have to tell you." She said sadly. I knew what it was going to be.

"I already think I know." I replied.

"Gio, I don't know what to do. I really don't…" She trailed off and looked over at the lake.

I sighed. "You need to do what's best for Betty. Maybe you don't know that now, but you will."

"It's complicated, Gio. I really care for you….but Henry came back…" Betty pulled the ring out of her pocket and placed it on her finger. "I don't know…"

"Betty, I'm leaving for Italy in a week.' I paused to catch the reaction on her face. "I want you to come with me. Nella has to stay behind and I have an extra ticket. My family lives in Tuscany."

"Gio…." She tried to explain what was going through her head.

"Don't worry about it. I want you to think about it though." I looked at the time. "We've got a game to play though in about 2 hours. Want to grab some dinner?" I suggested.

"I can't, Gio. Daniel needs me to go over some last minute notes for a meeting tomorrow." Betty turned to leave.

"Betty…here's the plane ticket…consider it." I held out the ticket and she took it.

"I will." She came back and kissed me lightly on the lips. I knew she was confused and had a lot of things on her mind.

I admit that orange is not my favorite color and donning this uniform brought my back to my high school days. What was more surprising was the Dolce and Gabbana belt I had to wear. I only had time to run by my family's house before heading to the game.

"You look like a carrot, Gio. Orange is not a good color on you." Nella replied.

"I'm doing Mode magazine a favor. Besides, I invited Betty to go to Italy with me." I smirked and adjusted the belt.

"Well Justin told me that she's engaged to another guy….that stupid Egg Salad you made me sit next too. He cleans his stupid glasses every five minutes." Nella rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, I'm one step ahead of you. I know what I'm doing. Tell Ma, I said 'hey'." I patted Nella on the head and departed.

The field was full of people dressed in black and red and then those dressed in orange and white. I slowly walked over to the Mode crowd. I stopped short once I saw Henry. Henry saw me too and frowned.

"What is _he_ doing here?" He asked Betty with a note of venom in his voice.

"He was asked to play. It's no big deal." She patted him on the chest reassuringly and gave me a longing look, which was one only I could see.

"Hey Betty. Ready to play?" I asked, ignoring Henry.

"I learned from the best." She laughed as Henry moved incomforabtly.

"Come on Betty, let's go get a hot dog." Henry didn't even give Betty the change to respond before he dragged her away. I couldn't help but look at her face as she left. She looked slightly sad.

"Hello, why the long face, Gio?" I turned around to see Christina there.

"Henry." I muttered pathetically. Christina frowned.

"Oy! You're not giving up that easily are you? Two can play with game, so I hope you've got that in mind." Christina took a bite out of her hot dog. "Between you and me…I really hope you win. Betty talks about you nonstop. We've got a codename for you. Sexy bastard is our little name." Christina finished off her hot dog and took a drink from her cup.

"I'm competing against a ring…I know the only reason he wants to marry her is because he is afraid of losing her." I commented. I watched Henry and Betty at the concession stand. Henry was glaring at me.

"Why do all these bloody romantic love triangles happen to Betty? Don't get me wrong…it's all so very sexy and hot…but…there's only one she deserves." Christina eyed me and smiled.

"I gave her the plane ticket." I muttered.

"Ay, she told me. She has it locked away safe in her panty drawer." She grinned. "Completely joking by the way." Christina winked at me. "Ya know, I see a fair good bit of myself in you, 'cept for the part that you've got a few things I don't have and the other way around." She laughed and I chuckled in response. "What I would do…would be to play dirty."

"Dirty?" I responded.

"Henry knows what he's doing, but you've got to be a few steps ahead of him." Christina winked and walked away.

I took her words into consideration as I made my way to the dug out. Daniel was there with the field chart. I glanced over his shoulder and noticed that Betty was in Center Field. I was in Left Field and Henry was in Right Field.

"Daniel…I noticed that you put Henry in Right Field…perhaps he should be the catcher…did you hear what happened with…" I cut my voice down to a whisper and Daniel nodded.

"Sure, I'll switch Henry out with Kenny." Daniel replied. He gave me a look of meaning which indicated that he knew what I was doing.

"Thanks pal." I slapped Daniel on the shoulder.

"So, how are things coming along with you and Betty?" Daniel asked me quietly.

"They're fantastic! We're expecting to be announcing our engagement any day now." I replied sarcastically.

"So what's Henry doing here anyway?" I asked curiously.

"Well Lani from accounting did a little too much celebrating because tax season is over and she's hungover." Daniel grimaced. "So Henry was the only one who could fill in."

'Remind me to thank Lani after the game." I grinned and sat down. Henry and Betty returned a moment later with a hot dog and drink in hand. Betty made a move to sit next to me, but Henry was faster and knocked her down in the process. Immediately I got up to help her.

"Get away from her jackass!" Henry shouted at me and shoved me against the fence.

"Woah! I was just trying to help, Henry. It's not like I'm about to strip her clothes off or anything." I remarked bitterly.

"I'm fine, Gio." She said with a hint of aggravation in her voice. She glared at Henry as he helped her out. They began to bicker quietly. I heard my name a few times, but decided to keep the peace and lean against the fence.

"Psst…Gio…." I noticed Christina motioning to me. "Take this hot dog. I have had way too many hot dogs today and thought you could use this. Use that hot dog wisely!" She winked as I grabbed it. I looked over at Betty and Henry who were absorbed in a lover's spat.

"Betty, hey…thought you could use this…seeing as your other hot dog bit the dust." I offered her the hot dog and she took it.

"Bit the dust…clever." She grinned at blushed as Henry took hold of her shoulder and glared at me.

"See you on the field Betty." I turned to leave, but remembered something. "Oh and Henry, sorry but we don't play slow pitch in this game." I grinned and caught sight of Betty doing the same. Henry shot daggers at me with his eyes.

I took my position in left field as Betty made her way to center field. She smiled at me as she made her way out there. Henry took his position as catcher. I decided to take the moment to run over and speak with her.

"Betty…how's it going?" I asked as I caught up to her.

"Alright." She lied.

"Look, I didn't mean to cause any commotion between you and Henry." I explained.

"Yes you did. I understand why you're doing it though…" She smiled at me with her beautiful braces gleaming in the sun. Her eyes were filled with understanding. "I appreciate it, Gio. You're the only one who has thought of me today." She pointed to the pitcher's mound as Willy was getting ready to throw and I stepped back into my position.

A few innings later, Henry decided that two could play the same game I was trying to play. He was switched to right field and he never left Betty out of his sight. I wanted to kiss her so badly. It was the love I had for her that restrained me. I knew that would provoke Henry and he would do something to embarrass Betty. I glanced over in between the 6th and 7th inning and noticed that Betty had her hand on Henry's cheek. Henry went back to his position and Betty turned to face me. She looked sad. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the ball heading straight for her. Instincts cut in and I raced to catch it so it wouldn't hit her.

"Out of the way sandwich boy…I've got it." Henry rushed past me. Funny thing was, I ended up with the ball in my glove. Henry defensively got in my face. "Leave protecting Betty to me." Henry glowered at me.

"Nice to know…where were you when she got hold of that toxic perfume now?" I grinned and mimicked trying to recollect.

"Guys…seriously….game…hello?" Betty motioned to everyone who was staring at us, waiting for the ball. I threw it to Willy. I walked back and turned to see Henry and Betty having another heated spat.

During the 8th inning, it was our time to bat. "You'll do fine, Betty." I encouraged her as she chose a bat. Henry had gone for some peanuts, so I had my opportunity with her. "Betty…" I touched her arm.

"Gio…Henry's going to be back at any moment…." She said with a certain feeling of calmness in her voice.

I kissed her passionately. "That's for good luck." I smiled as she slowly came back from being in a daze. "You'll make the right choice." I was suddenly not talking about baseball anymore. I was also aware of everyone's eyes in the dug out being on us.

"Gio…I want this…" She held up her hand with the ring sparkling. "I have wanted this my whole life. Finally it's real…it's real Gio…it's the fantasy I have always dreamed of…this is what I want." She looked at me sadly.

"You don't realize how wonderful you are, Betty. I have been holding on and waiting for you. This is what you really want? Do you really want this? Think about it…really and truly think about it. You have options. You have me. You have your family. You have a wonderful support system. You're only 24, Betty." She took my hand. At this point, her actions were beginning to confuse me.

"He loves me though." Betty replied stubbornly.

"Do you love him?" I asked.

"I…have to go bat now…" She turned to leave, but I grabbed her arm. "When was the last time you picked up a pen and wrote something…?" I asked suddenly.

"Uh, excuse me…I hate to break up this episode of Days of Our Lives…but I am keeping an eye on number 9 on the Elle team….and you're making me sick. Though, I have to admit I'm not nearly as sick now then when I am when Grubstank is making lovesick talk to Betty." Amanda sneered and brushed past us.

"Good luck." I brushed a lose strand from her hair and she touched my cheek and vanished to home plate.

"I told you to leave her alone…" Henry gritted his teeth as he took his place beside me.

"I'm not going anywhere…." I remarked with a grin. I sighed as Betty received her first strike.

"What does it take to get rid of you?" Henry asked scathingly.

"Bottle of vodka…maybe some gin…you know…the usual." I grinned. "You know, Henry, you're number one in my book." I chuckled, and enjoyed the fact that I had taken Henry by surprise.

"Really?" He tilted his head in confusion. "I'm surprised you're complimenting me." Henry remarked, still stunned.

"Take it as you wish…" I replied as a wry smile formed on my face. I knew what I wanted it to mean and took pride in the fact that Henry didn't realize it was an insult when I used it. Betty then received her 2nd strike.

The game finally ended with Elle beating Mode 4-2. Disappointed Mode workers were planning on hitting the bars afterward, but I lagged behind with Daniel for a few moments.

"Look, he's the uniform back. It didn't work…She really and truly loves Henry." I glanced at the pitcher's mound. Henry and Betty were having another little quarrel on the mound. He suddenly kissed her and then they held an embrace. I saw her looking at me from around Henry.

"Thanks for coming out Gio…I appreciate it." Daniel smiled. "Want to come join us for a few drinks? It's on Mode tonight." He offered.

"Nah, I have a flight to catch in a few hours." I informed him.

"We'll I guess we'll see you around." He cast a look from me to Betty and then wandered off. I gathered all of my things and made my way up the stands.

"GIO!" I turned to see Betty running up the stands toward me.

"What is it?" I asked. I wanted to remind her of Italy, but I didn't want to put anymore pressure on her.

"Have a nice trip." She replied. Tears were swelling up in her eyes.

"So you made your choice then?" I asked. She nodded.

"Yes, Gio…I have made my choice. This is what I want. This is what I've always wanted." She sighed and stared down at her ring and then back at me.

"I have to go, Betty." I turned bitterly and left.

It pained me to think that I would never see her again.


	7. Under the Tuscan Sun

I continued to walk up the bleachers, feeling completely dejected. I wasn't used to not being chosen. It was Betty's choice and I trusted her judgment. As much as I wanted to see her one last time, I couldn't bare seeing her in Henry's arms. Henry won; he was the one who made Betty's hands sweat. I glanced at my own palms. They were sweating.

The ride to the airport was unbearable. I didn't utter a single word as my family dropped me off at JFK. I feigned a smile for my mother and gave my sister a stronger hug than usual. Perhaps she understood why.

"I was beginning to like her, Gio." Nella whispered in my ear. I nodded and sighed.

"GIO! Wait Gio!" My heart skipped a beat as I turned to my name being called. The girl who spoke my name ran past me and into the arms of her lover. She kissed him over and over and walked into the airport, hand in hand.

By the time I got through security, I had hope that Betty might still show up. Anything was possible at this point. I looked at my watch and saw that I only had about 45 minutes until my flight took off. My phone suddenly rang and I looked down eagerly at the unknown number.

"Hello, Betty?" It was silly of me, seeing as I already knew her number, but that was hope speaking for me. "Oh, no this isn't Pedro…" I hung up, feeling defeated.

"Sir, would you move it along already?" A portly man behind me asked.

"Sorry…" I muttered as I walked under the metal detector.

Twenty minutes later, I found myself boarding the plane, without her. Now, any hope I had of her choosing me over Henry was completely gone. I found my seat promptly and caught hold of the flight attendant.

"Hello sir, my name is Beatrice, but just call me Betty for the flight, how can I help you?" She smiled sweetly at me, just like Betty would have done. I cringed.

"I think I will just call you Beatrice. It's such a lovely name anyway. Could I have a coke and rum?" I asked, with a hint of pain in my voice.

"Sure, if you could wait for us to take off then I will come back with that coke and rum." She gave me a pillow and walked away. I closed my eyes and let go of all thoughts I had about Betty.

"Excuse me…mind if I squeeze through?" Her perfume caught my nose before I even opened my eyes. For a split second it smelled so familiar. I opened my eyes and saw a beautiful red headed girl who was wearing a black dress.

"Oh, I'm sorry, are you the window seat?" I stood up as she brushed past me and sat down to my right.

"Well since we're going to be sitting together for such a long flight, perhaps I should introduce myself. I'm Caroline." She offered her hand and I took it.

"Gio." I replied. She was extremely beautiful, there was no denying it. Instinct made me look for a ring, when there was none, I relaxed.

"What brings you to Italy?" She asked. Her voice was sweet and interested.

"Family. You?" I replied.

"High school trip." She smiled. When she saw me move uncomfortably, she laughed. "I'm joking….I'm going on business." I couldn't help but laugh now. She was witty, just like Betty.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen. Today we will be featuring a wide range of entertainment movies for your viewing pleasure. Our first movie will be Titanic, followed by Under the Tuscan Sun, then Much Ado About Nothing, and finally Moonstruck. We hope you enjoy these movies and thank you for flying _Air Italia_." A voice over the intercom spoke and then translated it into Italian and then French.

"Talk about sappy movies…" Caroline grinned and nudged me.

"You had me at 'hello'" I grinned.

"Jerry Maguire." Caroline answered immediately. "A bird may love a fish, signore, but where will they live?"

I thought for a moment. "Ever After." I glanced at Caroline. "What? I have a sister alright?" I grinned as she chucked. "Only you, you're the only thing I'll see forever. In my eyes, in my words and in everything I do." I choked a little because I thought of Betty.

"West Side Story." She smiled. "I am just a girl standing in front of a boy asking him to love her."

"Notting Hill." I answered promptly, only because I had just seen the movie. "You may only call me "Mrs. Darcy"... when you are completely, and perfectly, and incandescently happy." I grinned. This one was too easy.

"Pride and Prejudice all the way. That's the movie version though." Caroline laughed and touched me on the shoulder. It was strange, but I felt nothing. "Ok, 'I might respect you, Earnest, I might admire your character, but I feel that I could never give you my undivided attention.'"

I thought for a moment. I had heard that somewhere before. "Ah, the Importance of Being Earnest." I replied.

"AH, you know Oscar Wilde?" Caroline looked amazed as I nodded.

"I often surprise people." I grinned as the flight attendant placed my coke and rum on my unfolded tray. "Can I buy you a drink?" It came out of nowhere.

Caroline smiled at me. She had green eyes. Finally she shook her head. "Nah, it wouldn't be a good idea. You're getting over a girl after all."

I shook my head. "How did you know?" I asked her, feeling astonished.

"…because you have that look in your eyes. It's alright…I'm getting over a guy." She smiled, but looked out of the window sadly.

"Well why don't you and I just watch sappy movies together then? It would pass the time on our 10 hour flight." I grinned as she nodded.

The next 10 hours seemed to slip by rather quickly. Not once did I sleep, because Caroline and I laughed at every cheesy line in each romantic movie that we saw. I learned that I wasn't attracted to Caroline, but merely found companionship in someone who knew what I was going through.

"…so she picked that guy over you, wow." She looked amazed as I shared with her my recent loss.

"Well, Henry can offer her more than I can, I guess. What girl wouldn't choose Italy over a ring?" I asked her.

"Well, if it helps at all…I chose the other guy over the ring in my case. I had fallen for two different guys. One guy offered me New York while the other proposed. I chose New York and now I'm running away from it. Turns out he forgot that he asked another girl to New York as well." Caroline grimaced.

"Sorry." I apologized for the guy. I knew I wasn't that type of guy. "Good luck with all that. Love can be a muddled mess sometimes." I grinned.

"Yeah, it can definitely be a muddled mess." She repeated and glanced out of the window.

'Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats and make sure your trays are in the upright position. We are about to land in Tuscany. We hope you have enjoyed your flight with us today and enjoy time under the Tuscan sun." the voice over the intercom announced as a few people chuckled.

"Well, it's been nice knowing you." I turned to Caroline and grinned.

"Same here. Thanks for making this long 10 hour flight a little shorter." Caroline replied as the plane raced down the runway to a stop.

"Ever been to Tuscany?" I asked. She shook her head.

"No, I've never been. I hear that renting villas are the in thing." She smiled.

"For tourists, anyway." I grinned. Our plane finally stopped at the gate and anxious people got up and collected their things. "Well, I guess I'll see you around. Seriously, thanks for everything. I feel a little better." I said honestly.

"Me too. Who knows, maybe we'll see one another again, Gio." She replied as I stood up and let her leave before me.

I spent about 15 minutes standing in the aisle waiting for other people to unload on the plane. There were annoying children who decided to pitch a fit and then there were old people as well. After what felt like an eternity, I was able to actually move my legs and walk. I thanked the flight attendants and walked through the connector that connected the plane to the actual airport. I smiled as people were warmly embraced.

I continued to walk past happy people. My carryon bag suddenly felt a million times heavier. Tuscany would allow me to forget her though. I would be seeing my millions of aunts and uncles and telling them all about my deli.

"Gio…."

I would be able to tell them about my successes.

"Gio…."

Things would work out. My aunts and uncles were great Italian people.

"Gio! GIO!" I finally realized that someone was calling my name. I was in Italy, so naturally Gio was probably like our version of John. I kept walking.

"GIOVANNI ROSSI!" The voice was persistent. I couldn't make out any familiarity because the airport was loud in general. I hesitated, but thought I would go ahead and take a chance of looking dumb if it wasn't me. I slowly turned. My heart skipped a beat.

"Gio…" She raced up to me, completely breathless. It was her. It was Betty. I knew her smile in an instant.

"Betty, what are you doing here?" My voice faltered because my heart was racing.

"Did you know that Delta can get you here 10 minutes faster?" She responded as she caught up with me. We stood there looking at one another for a moment.

"No, I didn't know that." I felt like I had missed a step. I hesitated and looked down at her hand. The ring was no longer there. "What are you doing here?" I repeated myself. I hoped she wasn't joking and that Henry would pop out of nowhere, the perfect timing he always seemed to have.

"I choose you, Gio. Maybe I realized it a little too late. You're the one Gio. You challenge me, you love me, and you annoy me. I would say that's a nice package.

"Are you being serious?" I was hoping this wasn't a dream. I looked up and saw Caroline smiling at us from afar.

"Gio, I've never been more serious. I'm sorry I'm late. I had to switch over my ticket…but good thing I work at Mode." She smiled.

"This is a joke…I know…" I was cut off.

"Woof." She replied.

"What the hell was that?" I asked.

"It's our thing…remember?' She grinned. "Stop making excuses already."

I finally realized that this was for real. I took her hands in mine. "Welcome to Tuscany." I replied with a grin. We stood there for a moment and she released her hands from mine.

"Sweaty palms." She replied embarrassingly.

I grabbed her hands. "I happen to find sweaty palms attractive." I grinned as we drew into a passionate kiss. It meant more to me than any other kiss I could have shared with her.

"So Delta never fed me…mind if we grab something to eat?" She asked after we parted.

"What do you have in mind?" I asked, lost in her eyes.

"Well I don't know…whatever Italians eat." She replied.

"We drink wine and make love, Betty." I replied instantly.

"Pity, I was looking forward to having a chicken salad sandwich." Betty grinned.

"Have I told you how wonderful you are?" I informed her.

"No you are more wonderful." She grinned.

"No, you are." I responded. I knew where this was going to go.

"No, you are." She caught on with a grin.

"I'm hanging up now." I smiled and held her close. "Hanging up on all other relationships that is." I looked up at Caroline suddenly and smiled and then took in Betty with my eyes and kissed her again.

Who knew that I would be spending this summer, under the Tuscan sun with Betty. Sometimes the consequences that stem from the truth aren't as bad as we think they'll be.

The End


End file.
